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João Moreira
Name:
João Moreira
Job Title:
Staff Engineer (Software Engineer)
Place of work / study:
Area of Research:
I lead a Software Engineering team tasked with building Software to support our Health Insurance company’s pharmacy and provider management teams. As the most senior engineer in the company, I am also involved in the design and set up of the architecture of various parts of our platform.
How is your research funded:
N/A
Tell us a little about yourself:
I was born in the Azores islands of Portugal, where I lived until 18 years old. I met Isabel when I was 16 years old, who was living in mainland Portugal then. I moved to mainland Portugal, specifically to the city of Porto, to study at university (Computer Engineering). I finished my Bachelor’s degree and worked for roughly a year in the city of Braga before getting a job opportunity and moving to the United Kingdom, specifically in the city of Exeter. Isabel joined me after around a year and a half and we both lived there for another 5 and a half years until we then moved where we are right now, in Boston, MA in the United States. I guess we have lived in quite a few places.
I enjoy the usual things like music, TV/Movies, video-games, technology, sports and fitness. I am currently practicing to run a marathon in September, attempting to qualify for the Boston marathon. I played a lot of Basketball when I was younger at a regional club in the Azores. My video-game consoles of choice are the PS5, PSVR2, and Nintendo Switch, and I am currently playing Final Fantasy XVI, Beat Saber, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom respectively. Many years ago I also had a small music project, mostly as a DJ using the name Disco4Dummies. I managed to play at quite a few clubs in the Azores and mainland Portugal. Also did plenty of music editing and mixing, participating in a few single remix contests.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have worked at companies in many industries, but the one that stands out is Funerals. I was a Lead Engineer at a Funeral Software company for around a year and half and learned quite a lot about funerals. Curiously, the team at this company was by far the one with the darkest humor; we had some of the funniest moments while discussing new features and requirements for our products.
Why did you choose to work in dementia:
I don’t but my wife does.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
I guess this advice also applies to anyone who is early in their career. Do not let your work take over your life, I know it’s tempting to sacrifice your own physical and mental health to get ahead and potentially have a great career, but honestly hard work is hardly the most important factor for your career’s success. From my experience, networking (who you know) with a pinch of luck are typically the main deciders.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
1984 by George Orwell, long due for a read. It’s a classic.
Can we find you on Twitter & Instagram?
Follow me on Instagram @joaosomoreira
